The 2016 mayoral candidates on cycling

The 2016 mayoral candidates, and what their manifestos have to say about cycling

With just over a week to go until London elects its next mayor, we have been taking a look at what the candidates are saying in their manifestos about cycling.

There are twelve candidates standing on 5 May 2016, and here we list them in alphabetic order as they will appear on the pink ballet paper. Details of the candidates have been copied from the Mayor of London and London Assembly Elections information booklet produced by London Elects.

The text that follows is exactly as it appeared in the manifestos of the parties concerned (accessed 14 April 2016, unless otherwise stated). Useful now, and for future reference!

There are some additional notes at the end of this post (which may be periodically updated), and these are preceded by video presentations from British Cycling of Chris Boardman’s conversations with four of the candidates Sadiq Khan (Labour Party), Caroline Pidgeon (London Liberal Democrats), Zac Goldsmith (The Conservative Party), and Sian Berry (Green Party).

Crackdown on cyclists who break the law by riding on the pavement and jumping red lights. Explore the possibility of requiring all bicycles to have number plates and all cyclists to have mandatory insurance and training.

I want to invest in cycling initiatives that make it safer to cycle around London. Far too many people are losing their lives this way. We need to be encouraging more people to leave their cars and travel on two wheels. But we have to do so in a way which doesn’t produce gridlock and without the pollution damage congestion causes.

Boris Johnson made it his mission to get London on two wheels. As a result of his record investment, more people than ever are enjoying the benefits of greener, cheaper, healthier travel. Cycling in London has doubled over the last decade, with cyclists now accounting for a quarter of all rush-hour traffic in central London.

Boris Johnson has committed almost £1 billion to double the number of cyclists again by 2026. I will protect and build on that legacy as part of my Action Plan for Greater London. From 2017, when current contracts end, I will integrate Boris Bikes into the wider TfL payment system, ensuring bikes can quickly and easily be hired via Oyster card or contactless payment.

I will consult on extending the current Boris Bike scheme to the outer London boroughs, setting up regional town centre to town centre hire schemes

Currently the Santander Cycle Hire Scheme is located in 12 boroughs and the Royal Parks, with Newham the only outer borough to have the scheme. There have previously been concerns that the densities of cyclists made it difficult for these schemes to be viable in outer London. So I will consult on setting up regional town centre to town centre hire schemes in the outer boroughs. I will do this once the existing contract with Serco for the provision of the Cycle Hire scheme expires in July 2017 and more modern and affordable bikes, with new docking protocols, are likely to be purchased instead. I will put a particular focus on whether local sponsorship could help to make this possible.

As an immediate priority, I will partner with Brompton Bikes to build on their existing London hire schemes

I will build on schemes such as those in Croydon, Ealing Broadway, Turnham Green and Walthamstow Central and pilot four further Brompton Bike Hire docks in outer London. This will allow Londoners to hire a folding Brompton Bike, which can be taken on all public transport and stored in offices, for £2.50 a day. I will also provide more Cycle Super Hubs in order to guarantee more parking spaces for cyclists, providing hubs at Waterloo, Tottenham Hale, Abbey Wood, Barking and Romford by 2019.

I will continue to make road safety an absolute priority

I will take forward TfL’s programme to upgrade the 33 most dangerous junctions, identifying further junctions to upgrade, supporting boroughs that choose to limit speeds on their roads and getting more lorries off our roads through using consolidation centres, and pursing a ‘River and Rail First’ policy, as outlined above.

And I will prioritise action on dangerous trucks.

HGVs were involved in seven out of nine fatal incidents in 2015. TfL’s Safer Lorry Scheme, launched on 1 September 2015, requires every HGV to have side guards to protect cyclists from being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision, and close proximity mirrors giving the driver a better view of cyclists and pedestrians around their vehicles.

I will go further, requiring all suitable HGVs operating in London to be fitted with a clear window panel in the passenger-side door to improve driver visibility and cycle safety. I will also trial a new innovation proposed by one leading trucking company to install inflatable skirts under their lorries in order to stop cyclists falling under the rail.

I will also work with the Government and industry to guarantee much greater take-up of the safest possible HGVs

‘Direct vision’ cabs allow the driver to see pedestrians and cyclists directly rather than relying on mirrors or cameras. These trucks cost up to 15 per cent more and are too low for some industrial processes, like utilising tips. So I will develop a Safer Urban Lorries Strategy in conjunction with TfL, manufacturers, contractors and tip operators in order to get these lorries onto our roads as quickly as possible.

I will continue to support the delivery of Cycle Superhighways and the Quietways programme in order to produce a comprehensive ‘Tube Network for the Bike’

I believe the separated Cycle Superhighways we are building now will work and I want to build more.

But I also hear what local residents are saying and I am clear that changes of this scale need community consent.

I will look to trial schemes in the form pioneered by New York, where the separation is done with temporary measures such as planters and traffic wands, enabling schemes to be adapted or discarded more easily if they do not work.

I expect the Cycle Superhighways to do a great job, but policy needs to be based on evidence, and if residents’ fears about congestion are borne out, then we will have to look again. We need a cycling programme that works for everyone.

I will also set up a new sponsorship fund for community cycling schemes, to help lever in match-funding for the next tranche of regional schemes. It is important the next set of projects are community-led to ensure they receive the widest possible support.

A safe capital for walking and cycling

My aim is to make London a byword for cycling around the world – with a plan to make cycling and walking safer and easier in the capital. Although a great deal of progress has been made, we still have a lot of work to do to protect cyclists and pedestrians from collisions. I’ll continue the good work that has been done by the last two Mayors on cycling, and increase the pace of change.

I will:

Increase the proportion of TfL’s budget spent on cycling

Continue the Cycle Superhighway Programme, investing in new routes and learning the lessons from earlier schemes, with a focus on segregated provision.

Prioritise Quietways – continuous cycling routes running through parks, alongside waterways and down quiet backstreets – to broaden London’s safe cycle network, while completing the roll out of current town-centre cycling improvement plans, and beginning a new round of schemes

Promote safer, cleaner lorries – working with the boroughs and using City Hall procurement to set new safety standards, moving towards City Hall and TfL contracts specifying ‘direct-vision’ lorries

Review the Safer Junction Programmes to identify and commence priority improvements at more of London’s major accident blackspots.

Deliver more cycle storage and parking, using the London Plan to ensure provision in new developments, while working with London boroughs to deliver onstreet secure provision.

Work to break down some of the city’s physical barriers, such as by backing the Rotherhithe-Canary Wharf cycle and pedestrian bridge

Cycling has more than doubled over the last 10 years and is now an integral part of London’s transport network, but still only accounts for 2% of journeys made in London compared to 13% in Berlin and 48% in Amsterdam city centre.

We will:

introduce a rush hour ban on HGVs: seven out of eight cycling fatalities in 2015 involved collisions with HGVs and 40% of cycling fatalities involving HGVs occur during rush hour

continue to support the cycle superhighways and also speed up the implementation of quietways [but speeding up must not mean watering down – public engagement (the case to be made) required for quietways as in ‘mini-Holland’ schemes below]

extend ‘mini-Holland’ projects, while learning the lessons about public engagement from the current schemes

increase the budget for cycling infrastructure to 3% of the TfL budget and ensure that money is spent – in 2014/15 £107m was allocated but only £60m spent

immediately review all major junctions and roundabouts to improve safety, including giving cyclists priority at junctions

introduce segregated cycle lanes where practicable [great, a massive step-change will be required to deliver across London]

give much more support for people looking to start cycling, including cycle safety training, with every person attending a training course entitled, through sponsorship, to discounts on safety gear.

support a new pedestrian and cycling crossing between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf

Transport for all – London’s great transport system has to work for all of us. WE will make it safe and accessible, not pitting wheelchairs and pushchairs against each other for limited space. WE will also build cycle facilities so that more women and children can cycle safely around the capital and WE will work to ensure that planning takes into account other forms of road use.

Support more cycling – Invest in cycling infrastructure that works for women and families, including more segregated cycle lanes, while consulting closely on the impact of new systems. Encourage the installation of more showers in schools, colleges and workplaces.

Use the Mayor’s contractual powers – Require developers and construction companies to use only ‘direct vision’ lorries designed for better cyclist visibility. Reduce the numbers of heavy goods vehicles during rush hours and install bicycle traffic lights at larger and more dangerous junctions.